Coping with Food Allergies: Starter Chicken Curry Recipe (Guest Post)

My friend Kristen discovered that her twins were allergic to both eggs and milk products. I sympathized with her when she would tell me the stories about how hard it was. But I never truly understood until I threw my first party that they were invited to when the kids were older. I was going to try to make several things that didn’t have eggs or milk and then I realized….it seemed like everything has eggs and milk in it! I’ve asked Kristen to do a guest posting series for me once a month, sharing tidbits of her story and some recipes that she’s found that not only work well, but taste good. Take it away Kristen…..

Hi Everybody, I apologize for getting this posting together late in the month. It has been an eventful one so far! I have not been feeling very well for some time now, and I am sure my friends and family are weary from hearing me say how tired I am and that I just don’t feel well at all anymore…Blah blah blah. Well I finally went to my primary care physician and had a physical. And thanks to the advice of my friend and her Mom– I requested to have the Dr. order a Celiac Disease panel. Last week I received the results and sure enough that’s what I have! On one hand I am relieved that now I know what is wrong with me, on the other hand now I am worried about my children since Celiac Disease is hereditary… but that is another posting altogether

So, now I am embarking on yet another facet of culinary restrictions! I am so thankful to my friend Cassandra who has lent me a great book (and other resources) to help me figure out how to deal with this disease. This book is an easy read and has been very helpful, it’s called The G-Free Diet: A Gluten-Free Survival Guide by Elisabeth Hasselbeck Co-host of The View. I had no idea that Celiac is actually an autoimmune response to gluten and not an allergy. In a nutshell, the body cannot break down the gluten into the amino acids to digest and the gluten then builds up to toxic levels in the body creating all sorts of havoc if left untreated. Yikes! There is no cure and the only way to combat the disease is with a gluten-free diet.

Basically my challenge is to make tasty food for the family that is milk, egg and now gluten free too. We are still staying away from nuts and fish because of suspected reactions. Not an easy feat! For right now I am practicing making gluten free recipes just for myself and making a separate meal for everybody else. I have already lost 5 lbs! (No, it’s not because my cooking is bad! lol) In light of this news, it was hard for me to decide which recipe I wanted to share with you this month! In the end I decided on one of my more recent favorites–Starter Chicken Curry. This recipe appeared in the Spring 2010 Penzey’s catalog and I have modified it to suit my family’s needs. I like that I can cook it all in just one pot–easy clean up! Even if you haven’t ever had curry, I think you will enjoy this one very much. There is not much heat and the raisins give the dish a nice sweet offset. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!! And yes my kids do enjoy this recipe! I even tweaked it so now it is gluten-free… taa daa…

3 Cups water (Chicken broth does give a richer flavor but I wanted to cut down on sodium)

½ Cup shredded coconut, optional

1) In a zip-top bag, combine the rice flour, Curry Powder, and salt. Add the chicken pieces and shake evenly to coat.

2) Heat the extra light olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for about 5 minutes, turning once, until they are browned well.

3) Add the onion, raisins and jasmine rice and stir to blend.

4) Pour in the water (or chicken broth). Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes or until the rice is cooked and the onions are soft.

5) Top serving with shredded coconut. (I haven’t tried it with the coconut yet but I like to serve it with broccoli. YUM!).

Enjoy!

Thanks for sharing your story and recipe, Kristen! I know a lot of you out there also have to eat a Gluten-Free diet and I am doing what I can to find deals and coupons on those products for you. I’m hoping that you’ll find a good new meal in the recipe that Kristen shared. More to come soon!

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Comments

My 4 yr old daughter was diagnosed with Celiac when she was 14 months. She also has reactions to soy, fish, peanuts, and dairy. I know how hard it is to deal with all of it. Cooking for her is always an experiment and trial and error. I am going to give the chicken recipe a try to see if she likes it. I look forward to more of your postings.

Thanks Brendalynn! I hope she enjoys the recipe, please let me know if she likes it. I find it really helps with a new recipe if I have the children help me make it. Especially letting them shake up the chicken to coat it w/ the ingred. in the baggie, that’s always a big hit– But make sure the baggie is secure!! lol
I am working on some new goodies for the next posting…
Take care-
k